RT Article
T1 Legitimizing Intimate Partner Violence: The Role of Romantic Love and the Mediating Effect of Patriarchal Ideologies
JF Journal of interpersonal violence
VO 36
IS 13/14
SP 6351
OP 6368
A1 Lelaurain, Solveig
A2 Fonte, David
A2 Giger, Jean-Christophe
A2 Guignard, Séverin
A2 Lo Monaco, Grégory
LA English
YR 2021
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1760355682
AB Romantic love in heterosexual relationships is recognized as an important aspect to be considered in relation to the psychosocial mechanisms associated with the persistence of intimate partner violence and the help-seeking barriers faced by female victims. However, few studies have explored the processes underlying the relationship between this form of love and attitudes toward this kind of violence. To do this, the current study aims to analyze the relationship between the adherence to romantic love and the legitimization of intimate partner violence (i.e., perceived severity of violence, victim blame, and exoneration of the perpetrator). It was also to test the mediating effect of patriarchal ideologies (i.e., ambivalent sexism and domestic violence myths) on this relationship. Two hundred thirty-five French adults (51.1% women) were surveyed. The data were analyzed with structural equation models to study the mediations between the variables considered. Consistent with our hypotheses, the results showed that the more the participants adhered to romantic love, the more they blamed the victim and exonerated the perpetrator. They also showed a positive link between romantic love, ambivalent sexism, and domestic violence myths. Finally, the results demonstrated that the relationship between romantic love and the legitimization of violence is mediatized by ambivalent sexism and domestic violence myths. The findings illustrate the need to deconstruct romantic love ideology and the psychosocial logics underlying the legitimization of intimate partner violence.
K1 Intimate Partner Violence
K1 violence legitimization
K1 ambivalent sexism
K1 Romantic love
K1 Domestic Violence
DO 10.1177/0886260518818427